Let's start with a little background, shall we? When I was younger, I was lucky enough to live in a house with not only my parents and my brother, but my mother's sister, and her mother. As a result of my mother and father (and auntie) working full-time, I would always go home after school to my mother's mother. In Gujarati, the language I speak at home, "Nanima" means "mother's mother," and so that is what I call her. I was lucky enough to be brought up by Nanima, who actually immigrated to Canada from Tanzania to help in my ... read more

This is the story of my attempt to tattoo myself, which has resulted in a small constellation of black freckles on my left forearm that I am really quite attached to now, despite the circumstances in which they were acquired. State of Mind When I was 16 I was not very happy. The perspective of age tells me that this is a fairly common occurrence for 16 year olds! Still, at the time perspective seemed impossible to find and I seemed to be sinking without trace in negative emotions. I quit college after two weeks of trying to study my ... read more

I have been planning a tattoo in honour of my Grandma for 4 years now, and I am pleased to say I finally got it! I decided on a foot tattoo, as I'm keen on having the ability to conceal my tattoo when necessary... also, I find foot tattoos to be adorable and feminine. Anyways, this tattoo is my third, and having experience in being tattooed I figured I had a fairly good understanding of what to expect. I'll be the first to admit it, I was wrong! A good friend of mine who has tattoos in similar places to ... read more

My 22nd birthday was fast approaching, and I knew what I wanted, a peacock on my foot. I had already been thinking and planning it out for a few months. For about a year or so I've been just dying to get my feet tattooed. I just thought having one's feet tattooed can be so flattering if it is done just right, same with most tattoos I suppose. Peacocks symbolize beauty and grace. They also symbolize eternal life, prosperity, royalty, compassion, soul and peace. Peacocks are loyal and faithful partners and therefore they also are a symbol for eternal love. ... read more

It took me a week to decide what I was having tattooed on my fingers, hopeless was my final decision. I looked through galleries online to get ideas, found a list of every single eight letter word, but nothing felt right. I discussed it with friends and on line in chat rooms, but I still couldn't find anything I felt suited me. One night, after catching a movie with a friend, we were discussing possibilities, and went at it for a good twenty minutes, but still nothing felt right(although I was contemplating hefalump, because it was a word we used ... read more

This is the story of how I came to get an orangutan tattooed onto my thigh. First, a little background about me. I am a zoology student in college. When I graduate, I want to work with orangutans. I have loved these goofy looking creatures for a long long time. For my Leaving Cert art exam, my project was on orangutans. One particular piece turned out very well  a baby orangutan's head, in psychedelic colours. It earned me a grade A in my final exam, and it has decorated my bedroom wall ever since. Almost a year ago, I ... read more

Never one to shy away from new levels of geekdom, in October 2006 I was introduced to the world of ARGs (Alternative Reality Games). An alternate reality game is an interactive narrative that uses the real world as a platform, often involving multiple media and game elements, to tell a story that may be affected by participants' ideas or actions. A Rabbithole (also known as a trailhead) marks the first website, contact, or puzzle that starts off the ARG. I was sucked down the "RabbitHole" of a game called Sammeeeees, where I banded together with other players around the country, ... read more

I had been thinking about getting another tattoo on my upper middle back for a long time and figured since I had the money and more importantly, the time, that this was my next venture. It had been a few years since my last inking and stood in the mirror admiring my back and recalling the burning, scratching feel of the last tattoo I had done...a beautiful rose entwined on a branch with a tribal feel. Very nice. I had already thought about what I had wanted. Just a little tribal thing all in black (would I want a little ... read more

I have wanted a second tattoo for a while, I just could not figure out what i wanted. I knew that I wanted something that meant something to me, because my first did not. I had gotten a tribal tattoo with a flower in the middle on my lower back, everyone had one, i wanted it too. For valentines Day of this year[2008] my girlfriend got me all the regular stuff, candy, a card stuff like that, but inside the card there was a piece of paper stating that i got to go to a really good local tattoo shop ... read more

I've been doing professional body piercing and scarification for the last nine years in Canada and Australia. I've always had an inclination to non-permanent aspects of body piercing over tattooing, yet while working as a piercer the opportunity and envelopment into the tattooing world is overwhelming. A Navy sailor myself, I have a fair share of tattoos all over my body; primarily good luck charms or memorials to lost friends and family, but never had I ever thought to attempt to give myself a tattoo; especially since I know of the risks involved as far as blood poisoning, infectious diseases ... read more

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